She frowns and it’s clear the idea of being last to the table frustrates her. ‘Oh, I see. Well, I’m here now, so perhaps we should get straight down to business, then.’
‘I’d expect nothing less from a professional such as yourself,’ I say, waving her inside with a sarcastic flourish.
She gives me a stiff sort of nod—I can tell it’s killing her, having to try and be so unnaturally friendly towards me—stalks past me, then pauses in the middle of the hallway, waiting for me to close the door and show her in which room we’re going to be doing business.
I lead her towards the library, which is my favourite room in the house. I’ve had it stocked with hundreds of books, both fiction and non-fiction—a lot of which I’ve read and enjoyed over the years I’ve lived here.
Her face is a picture as she gazes around the room, clearly surprised I would own such intellectual things as books.
‘Don’t tell me, you had no idea I could read,’ I tease her.
She visibly tenses, as if I’ve hit a nerve, then holds up a hand in supplication.
‘Look, Jamie. I know we’ve not exactly had the best of relationships over the years, but can we put that aside for the time being? What happened the last time we saw each other was a mistake, I’m sure you’ll agree. It was clearly a time of heightened emotions and a culmination of a lot of pent up anger which I think we’re both mature enough to move on from now.’
‘Perhaps you’re right—fucking each other against a wall wasn’t a great idea,’ I agree, walking towards her so we’re standing only feet apart. ‘I guess the resentment between us finally reached a point where something had to give.’ I flash her a grin. ‘And it turned out to be your underwear.’
I see something flare in her eyes and heat rushes through my body, making my cock throb with interest at the memory I’ve just described. I tamp down the feeling, knowing I need to keep my head on straight here.
‘But, seriously, I agree it was a moment of madness,’ I say. ‘If I hadn’t been off my head with grief after losing my father, I would never have even entertained the idea.’
Her throat moves as she swallows, and I wonder whether she’s trying to gulp down a retort she wants to make but knows she shouldn’t.
‘So can we talk seriously? Business person to business person?’ she asks stiffly.
Is she feeling the same sexual tension I am? I bloody hope so. It’ll make my job a lot easier if she’s distracted by her desire for more adventures against the wall.
‘Of course. That’s what we’re here for. Business,’ I murmur, smiling at her.
She looks disconcerted by my affability, but I’m guessing she assumes I must be hard up for money to cover my father’s death duties if I’m trying to sell his business so fast, and that therefore as a potential buyer she has some power over me.
Think again.
‘And we can put our personal differences aside for the duration of this meeting?’
‘I can if you can.’
A flicker of doubt in her expression tells me she’s sceptical about that.
It seems I have some work to do here.
‘Okay. Well, putting all my cards on the table, I’d like to buy your father’s business and I’m absolutely positive that DH Worldwide will be able to top any offer you’ve already been made,’ she says, giving me the sort of determined gaze I’ve come to know well over the years.
‘Oh, I don’t know. I’ve had some pretty interesting offers made already.’
‘But you’re still open to hearing an offer from me.’ She delivers this as a statement, as if she’s sure there’s no way on earth I’d even consider cutting her company out of the running. Typical April—completely convinced she’s right, no matter what.
‘To be honest, it’s going to take more than money to convince me that your company is a fitting contender.’
‘What do you mean?’ She genuinely looks baffled by that.
I fold my arms. ‘I mean you’re going to have to convince me that you’re the best person to nurture and grow my father’s business. It meant a lot to him personally and I know he’d hate to think I was selling it to just anyone. Especially after what your father did to his first company.’
For just a moment she lets down her guard and I see a hint of panic flash across her face. ‘That was years ago. Surely you recognise that the business world can be cut-throat and not every company survives? At that point I believe there was only room for one of us to provide that particular service and it so happened my father managed to take the crown.’
‘He did everything he could to sabotage my father’s company until he was forced to file for bankruptcy,’ I point out.
She shifts on the spot and I notice she’s bunched her hands into fists. ‘You need to understand that he was in a very dark place after my mother died and wasn’t as considerate in his business dealings as he could have been.’
‘He’s never considered other people in his life,’ I counter, interested by the fact she suddenly looks so uncomfortable. But I know now isn’t the right time to bring up the questions surrounding her mother’s death. I need to bide my time. But at least I have a way into that conversation now, given she was the one to bring it up. But later. When she’s relaxed and off-guard.
Her hackles are up now, though, I can tell, but she knows she’s in a tricky position here. If she keeps arguing for her father’s past actions, this meeting’s going to be over before it’s begun and she’ll be travelling back to England with her tail between her legs, which I’m sure her father won’t be at all pleased about.
It seems I’m right because she forces her mouth into a strained smile and says, ‘I can assure you, this time the integration of your father’s business will be treated with the respect it deserves. It’ll become an integral part of our portfolio. I promise you, it has a strong and profitable future with us.’
‘Is that right?’
‘Yes. It is. I accept that your father and mine have had their differences in the past, as have you and I, but we can’t let that get in the way of a deal that’ll benefit both families in the long run. Anyway, I think your father would have liked the idea of you fleecing my family for every penny you can get.’ She flashes me a conspiratorial grin, as if we’re in on a joke together.
I can see why she’s so good at her job. She has a way of putting real conviction behind her words that instinctively makes you believe she’s going to make whatever needs to happen bloody well happen. It’s actually pretty arousing.
She takes a couple of careful steps towards me, her hands raised and her palms towards me, as if trying to show me there are no tricks up her sleeve. That she’s as genuine as they come.
Yeah, right.
‘Okay, look, Jamie, just tell me what I can do to persuade you to sell to DH Worldwide and I’ll do it. Let’s find a way to make everyone happy.’
I take great pleasure in leaving a long, thoughtful pause hanging in the air before I speak again, seeing the tension mount in her shoulders as I draw this out for as long as I can.
‘You can let me make you come,’ I say finally.
She stares at me, obviously wondering whether she’s misheard me, her hands jerkily returning to her sides.
I suppress the grin that’s pushing like mad at the corners of my mouth. I need her to believe I’m deadly serious about this.
‘I’m sorry, did you really just say I have to have an orgasm in order for you to sell your father’s company to me?’
‘I did. And it has to be me that gives it to you.’
She lets out a broken laugh and shakes her head. ‘Wow. I had no idea you could stoop this low just to try and prove a point.’
‘Okay, well, if that’s the way you feel then there’s nothing left to discuss,’ I say, walking away from her, over to my desk. ‘I’ll happily sell to your biggest rival instead.
I know they’d be delighted to have De Montfort Software for their portfolio.’
Her hands shoot up again. ‘No. Wait. I didn’t refuse the deal, did I? I was just surprised by it.’
‘So is that a yes?’
She looks properly confused now. ‘Why, though, Jamie? Why on earth would you want something like that?’
I shrug, as if it’s of no real consequence. ‘Let’s just call it closure, shall we?’
‘Is this because of what I said at the fundraiser? About you never being able to make me come?’
‘If that’s what you want to believe.’
She gives me another smile, which I think she thinks is warm but actually comes across as beleaguered. ‘Because I was only messing with you, you know.’
I lean back against the edge of my desk and take a moment to thoroughly assess her. ‘I’m not sure I believe you. In fact, I’m not sure you’re actually capable of letting go enough to orgasm.’
‘Well, I am!’ I can see I’m making her angry now but she’s desperately trying to fight it to keep this meeting on a businesslike footing.
Satisfaction surges through me, but I know I need to keep my triumph under wraps if I’m going to gain her trust so she’ll tell me the secret she’s been keeping from me all these years. I think at this point she’d tell me any old pack of lies if she thought it would help close this deal and that’s exactly what I don’t want to happen. I need to get her to a point where she’s emotionally compromised and weak enough to let me back into her good graces. I want to turn her upside down and inside out with lust, to make her so befuddled by desire she’ll happily tell me anything I want to know.
So she’ll tell me the truth.
I push away from the desk and walk over to the window, pretending to stare out at the view, though all I can see is the image of her confused face blazed across my vision like a light trail. I force down a sting of unease, which comes at me from out of nowhere.
‘I’ll let you have a few minutes on your own,’ I say, gesturing outside towards the path from my house that leads down to the cove, as if I’m thinking of taking a stroll there. ‘Give you some time to think it over.’
I turn back to see she’s standing ramrod-straight in the middle of my library, as if turned to stone. She’s paralysed with confusion and frustration.
Just the way I hoped she’d be.
CHAPTER THREE
April
A BEAD OF sweat trickles down my spine as I stand there, frozen with indecision about what to do about Jamie’s indecent proposal.
It’s not as if I have a moral objection to using my sexuality to attain something I feel will be beneficial. Hell, I was prepared to go through with a marriage of convenience a couple of months ago because I could see the clear business benefit—not that I ever had a chance of making that happen, because my potential suitor turned out to be the only man capable of taming my wild sister, Maya, who’s now completely in love with him, and he her—but Jamie’s an altogether different proposition. There’s history between us. Twisted, messy history with a potential for challenging emotions to resurface.
He’s the last man on earth I should be letting into my bed.
But I wouldn’t be the successful businesswoman I am today if I hadn’t been able to handle challenging situations.
Evidently Jamie needs to restore his manly pride after I took it to pieces then gave him no recourse to prove me wrong.
Which I can understand. He always did let his dick lead his actions.
But I can deal with all that.
As previously mentioned, sex to me is just a tool, a means to get what I want. So having sex with Jamie again—because it’s not as if we haven’t done it before, and recently too—will be absolutely fine. I can keep any lingering feelings—mostly of annoyance at him—at bay. Just until he’s given me what I came here for.
At least, I think I can.
I’m going to have to if I’m going to be successful here.
Unfortunately, he was absolutely right about my father making it clear that if I wanted to keep hold of the CEO role—a role I’ve hankered after for years—I’d have to secure this sale to prove to him once and for all that I’ll be capable of making a success of running DH Worldwide on my own.
Up to this point we’ve not managed to produce our own product to the same standard as De Montfort Software’s and it’s currently hurting us at the acquisition stage. It frustrates me to say it, but Cliff’s software is still by far the best on the market despite our best efforts to replicate it. If one of our biggest rivals manages to secure this business it could be very bad for us. One company in particular has been chasing our tail a little too closely for my liking recently and I don’t like the numbers I’ve been seeing.
So I’m going to give him what he wants. It’ll involve some highly skilled and possibly demeaning play-acting—but I’m okay with that. It’s a means to an end. Everyone makes sacrifices to get their golden ticket. Don’t they?
Yes. They do.
So I’m going to make this work.
No matter what it costs me to do it.
Anyway, as soon as the deal is signed I’ll be able to walk away and never need to see or speak to Jamie again.
And he’ll be getting his closure and soothing his precious ego, so he’ll probably never want to see or speak to me again either.
It’s a win-win.
‘Wait, Jamie, don’t go,’ I say as he starts to walk past me towards the door to the hall.
He stops and turns back to face me, his eyebrows raised in question.
I try not to let myself be distracted by how spectacularly sexy he looks today. He’s wearing casual trousers, which hang low on his hips, and a form-fitting light-blue shirt which is open at the neck and showing a tantalising amount of his toned chest. The chest I’ve had trouble not obsessing about since I last ran my nails down it.
I give myself a mental shake. I have to stop thinking about him that way. This needs to be a clinical thing, without any warm and fuzzy emotions attached.
So, yes, okay, practically speaking he’s a very attractive man. And, yes, my body reacts instinctively to him whenever I’m anywhere near him. But that doesn’t mean I should let that get in the way of what I’m here to do. This will be a business transaction, nothing more. A semi-pleasurable one, sure, but short-lived and to the point.
I can give him the type of performance his ego’s looking for then get the hell back to London and back to business.
I walk towards him, seeing his eyes flicker with interest as I smile and nod.
‘Okay. I’m happy with that deal.’ As soon as I’m close enough, I raise my right hand and slide it against his jaw, feeling the beginnings of his stubble prickle my skin, then push my fingers into his thick hair, tilting my head up and urging his head down as I angle my mouth towards his and plant a whisper of a kiss on his firm lips.
My mouth rushes with tingles as the warmth and the scent of him assault my senses and I allow myself to let out a small gasp of pleasure. I need to convince him I’m enjoying every moment of this in order to keep up the pretence that he’s capable of giving me the satisfaction I need. That I’m desperate for him to give me release from the pent-up sexual energy only he can stoke in me.
I press my lips harder against his, opening my mouth and sliding my tongue against his. There’s a low throb building deep in my pelvis as my body reacts to my proximity to him and the thought of what he’s going to do to me. Shifting my body closer, I crush my breasts against his solid chest, inviting him to wrap his arms around me, to pull me to the floor, rip off my clothes and make the magic happen.
But he doesn’t.
He just stands there with his arms hanging loosely by his sides, taking my kisses but not reciprocating.
As soon as I realise this, I pull my mouth away from his and frown, seein
g his eyes are open and free of any kind of expression of desire.
‘What’s wrong?’ I ask, trying not to sound worried, though I don’t think I get away with it. My voice has a giveaway shake to it that sends a sting of horror through me. ‘I thought this is what you wanted.’
He raises one eyebrow and looks at me as if he thinks I’ve lost my mind.
‘You don’t really think I’m going to just throw you down on the floor right here and now and that’ll be the end of it?’
He sounds incredulous, as if I’m being the biggest idiot alive.
Heat burns in my cheeks. ‘I don’t understand. I thought that’s what the deal was,’ I say, taking a step back and smoothing down my rumpled suit jacket, desperately trying to save face.
His snort is full of amusement. ‘I’m not twenty any more, April. I like to take my time over sex these days. Give my partner the maximum amount of pleasure possible. That means build up. Foreplay. Anticipation. Rushing into things is never a good idea. It’s all over way too soon and neither of us has the opportunity to properly experience it. The end result is so much more enjoyable when it’s been hard won, don’t you agree?’
His smile is wide and wicked and it suddenly occurs to me exactly what he’s doing.
‘So how long are you expecting me to stay here with you before you finally decide to give me this holy grail orgasm?’ I demand, nerves and frustration getting the better of me, making me snappy.
He shrugs his wide shoulders. ‘I’m not sure. A couple of days? Three? Four? As long as it takes to satisfy me you’re not just “faking it again”.’
He puts the last three words in disdainful air quotes. I curse myself for having said that to him now. It’s caused more problems than I ever could have anticipated.
Bloody men and their bloody male pride.
‘I don’t have three or four days to spare,’ I argue. ‘I have a company to run.’
‘And a huge and very competent team working for you who can handle you not being there breathing down their necks for a few days,’ he argues back, not unreasonably.
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